Supporting girt



May 3, 1949.. G. w. oKEl-:FFE

SUPPORTING GIRT Filed Feb. 5, 1948 i. D ZT* Patented May 3, 1949 SUPPORTING GIRT George W. OKeeffe, Elkins Park, Pa., assignor to Proctor & Schwartz, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 5, 1948, Serial No. 6,538

Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in supporting poles or girts, and more particularly to supporting poles or girts for use in drying equipment generally and especially in driers of the multi-pass and loop or festoon types.

Prior to the present invention it has been the practice generally in the drier industry to employ supporting poles or girts whi-ch are not pervious to the passage of the drying air or other fluid medium. In the case of multi-pass driers wherein the girts usually do not rotate the use of air impervious girts or supporting poles gives rise to a tendency for the part of the material which is in contact with the girt to dry slower than the remainder of the material. Furthermore, where the nature of the material being dried permits some of the drying air to pass through the material and impinge against the impervious girt, there frequently results a rebound of the air which causes the material to be shifted or Worked to one side or the other of the supporting girts. On the other hand, in the case of loo-p or festoon driers, there have been numerous instances where the air rebound such as described has caused the material being dried to slip with respect to the girt thereby forming uneven loops of the material at opposite sides of the girts. Once this condition is established it becomes rapidly worse and the loops increase in length until they drag on the bottom of the drier-a highly unsatisfactory and objectionable situation.

With the foregoing in mind, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a supporting pole or girt of the character set forth which is of open or perforate construction so that a drying medium, such as air, may pass therethrough.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel foraminous supporting pole or girt as set forth which embodies sufficient rigidity and strength to support thereon a web of material such as cloth or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel foraminous supporting pole or girt for driers which includes features of construction that prevent damage and injury to fabrics of rayon and similar synthetic yarns as the result of contact with heated or hot portions of the girt.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel foraminous girt having the characteristicsand features set forth which is of relatively simplified and inexpensive construction, and which is highly elcient and effective in operation and use.

These and other objects of the invention and the various features and details of the construction and operation thereof, are hereinafter fully set forth and described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic showing of a loop or festoon drier in which the supporting pole or girt of this invention may be employed to advantage;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a portion of a girt made according to the present invention and showing certain details of the construction thereof;

Fig. 5 is a schematic showing of a multi-pass drier in which the present girt construction may be advantageously employed; and

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of girt embodying the invention.

With reference to the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates a conventional loop or festoon drier wherein a web w is supported and conveyed through a drier chamber I by means of a conveyor 2. This conveyor 2 comprises a pair of side chains 3 which are arranged to travel continuously upon supporting rails 4 mounted within the chamber I. Extending between and supported at their opposite ends by the chains 3, respectively, is a series of web supports 5 in the form of girts which may be rigidly attached to the chain 3 vor supported thereby for rotation with respect thereto as desired. The web w is formed into loops or festoons :z2 successively by passing over a rotating drum vI5 which feeds downwardly between an adjacent pair of girts 5 while the upper run of the conveyor moves beneath the drum 6 at a relatively slower speed than the peripheral speed of said drum.

The present invention relates to the construction of the web supporting girts 5, and particularly to supporting girts which are of foraminous construction and therefore pervious to the passage therethrough of the drying air or gases. Referring more particularly to the drawing, a supporting girt made according to the present invention comprises an elongated member which is pervious to the passage of drying air or gases therethrough. Such a member, for example, may be a tube I0 fabricated of relatively coarse, heavy gauge wire mesh as shown in Figs. .3 and 4, or may be a tube l 0a of solid material'provided with numerous perforations or openings 10b therethrough as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing. The member I0 may be formed into the desired tubular form from at wire mesh stock, and the meeting opposite edge portions of the wire mesh may be soldered or otherwise secured together to form a seam Il longitudinally of the tubular member.

It will be apparent that the gauge and coarseness of the wire mesh or the number and size of the perforations Ib which is required to assure the necessary rigidity and stiffness to the tubular girt members for any given installation will depend upon the diameter and length of the tubular members Ill and Illa to be employed as Well as upon the weight of `the material to Abe supported thereby. For example, in a girt construction having a diameter 0I" about 2 inches and a length of about 8 feet, Wire mesh having about 4 mesh per inch composed of about No. 14 gauge (Brown & Sharpe) steel Wire provides a girt of adequate strength and rigidity for supporting Webs of .textile material While traveling through a drier.

The ends of the tubular girt members I0 and IDa are open, and the girt is mounted, for example, in horizontal relation Within the drier by means of trunnions or the like I2 which have reduced inner end portions i3 that are :fitted and secu-red in the opposite ends of the tubular .girt

member, and have their outer ends suitably xed ,-,t0=or rotatably'carried by the pair of side chains V3 previously described.

The use of a supporting girt constructedas previously described herein is entirely satisfactory for supporting numerous textile materials during the `drying or vother processing thereof. However, in the `drying of many materials composed ofsyntheticyarns such as, for example, rayon and l the like, the temperatures existing within the drying chamber are sufficiently high to cause the `Wire mesh of the tubular girt member I0 to be heated to a degree that the synthetic materials lWill'be marked and damaged if brought into contact with the hot wire mesh girt member iii.

5110 take care .of this condition, the present invention contemplates the provision upon the io- -raminous members lil and Iila of an outer sleeve .I4 which is also of open construction. This outer :sleeve I4 preferably is composed. of material which is of low thermal conductivity and which also is resistant generally to high temperatures. Thus, for example, the sleeve It may be composed of `relatively heavy asbestos yarn, and may be woven yor lbraided directly upon the tubular member It `or Illa. Very good results have been obtained with .an outer sleeve I4 composed of twisted asbestos .yarn of about g inch diameter which is braided or woven directly upon the tubular mem- V,

ber to .fa mesh size of about 2 mesh per inch. rlhis gauge of `yarn and mesh size of the sleeve ift effectively supports the web w away from contact `with the inner wire mesh member l0.

In order to bind the asbestos or other fibres ,more securely together and thereby minimize fraying of the yarn and also to enable the high vmember I0 or loa.

From the-foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel .supporting pole or -girt which is of open mesh .construction so that a drying medium, such as air, may pass therethrough, The invention also .provides a supporting pole or girt as set forth whichembodies sufficient rigidity and strength to support thereon a web of material such as cloth vor 'the like. Furthermore, the invention provides a supporting pole or girt which is constructed to iti@ prevent damage or injury to fabrics of rayon and similar synthetic yarns as a result of contact vthereof with heated or vhot 4portions ci the girt. In addition, the "invention provides a novel open mesh girt having the characteristics set forth Awhich is of relatively simplied and inexpensive construction and which is highly eicient and effective in operation and use.

While further embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not intended that the invention shall be limited to such disclosure, and changes and modi- .an Vouter sleeve oi relatively coarser open mesh 'construction on vsaid member composed of substantially heat-resistant and thermally 10W vconductive material.

2. A girt structure for supporting web and strip goods comprising an elongated tubular member of foraminous construction, an outer sleeve of open construction on said member composed `of substantially heat-resistant and thermally low conductive fibrous yarn, anda coating on said structure binding the bres in the yarn and positively anchoring the outer sleeve to said tubular member.

3. A girt vstructure for supporting web and strip goods comprising an Aelongated tubular member of foraminous construction, van .outer sleeve of relatively coarser open construction on said member composed of substantially heat-resistant and thermally low conductive brous yarn, and .a coating on said :structure binding the 4libres inthe yarn and positively anchoring the outer'sleeveto said tubular member,

4. AA girt structure for supporting web and strip goods comprising an elongated tubular member of relatively heavy gauge coarse wire mesh having its edges secured together in a seam longitudinally of said member, an outer sleeve of open mesh construction on said member composed -of substantially heat-resistant and thermally low conductive brous yarn, land a coating on said structure binding the iibres in `the yarn and positively anchoring the outer sleeve to said tubular member.

5. A girt structure for supporting web `and strip goods comprising an elongated tubular member of foraminous construction, an outer sleeve of coarse open mesh construction on said 4member composed of relatively heavy asbestos yarn, .and `a coating on said structure binding `the asbestos bres in the yarn and positively anchoring the outer sleeve to said tubular member.

GEORGE W. OKEEFFE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are lof record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '758,451 Judelson Apr. 26, 1904 1,613,460 Hurxthal Jan. 4, 1927 1,924,612 McCorkindale Aug. 29, 1933 2,030,304 Knowlton F'eb, 11, 1936 `2,436,719 Hurxthal Feb. 24, 1948 

